Cleaning device for film strips



Dec. 16, 1924. 1,519,460

H. LICHTE CLEANING DEVICE FOR FILM STRIPS Filed April 20, 1922 51 'Y 5H Z2 5d l 1 r Y Eig-.FQ

, I.. .HI m 1 2 3 +r@ i `l 5f Awww Zia/@ML jy h im@ /fdrnf/K Patented Dec, 16, 1924.,

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HEINRICH LCI-TE, OF BEE-LIN, GERMNY, ASSGNOR T0 DURA FILE@ PROTECTOR C0., 0F NEVT YORK, N. Y., A CORPRA'liO-N F HEY/'J YORK.

CLEANNG DEVCE FOR FLM STRIPS.

Application lcd April 20, 1922.

T 0 all whom i may concer/a:

Be it known that l, HEINRICH Lrcrrrn, a citizen of the German Republic, and a resident ot' Berlin, Germany, have invented certain new and useful lmprovements in Cleaning Devices for Film StripsS or" which the following is a specification.

It is a known phenomenon with iilm bands that after comparatively long use., and owing to dirt, as well as to slight damages, disturbing eii'ects are perceived when the pictures of such a lilm are projected on the screen; the pictures lookingas it the lilm band had been marred or spoiled by rain. lt has already been proposed to clean the lilm band by benzine or the like, and also special devices have been constructed in order to clean the lilm band in a mechanical way. There are cleaning devices in which the lilm is conducted through the washing liquid and afterwards rubbed Ion both sides by brushes, and there are other forms of construction, in which the brushes dip into the washing liquid and the lilm passes between them. But neither ot these devices has proved sul'liciently eli'ective, because the mere rinsing in the washing liquid or the simple brushing of the moistened films does not sui'hce to completely remove the dirt from the film band, and, furthermore, line rents and similar or other unevenesses and irregularities which have arisen upon the rear side of the film are not in the least done away with. Also after having been treated in such a device the film still looks more or less as it marred or spoiled by rain, although the coarsest deects are, in fact, removed.

The present invention obviates the abovementioned drawbacks in the following manner: Firstly, the film band is thoroughly brushed while being submerged in the washing liquid. Owing to the brushes working in the liquid, the brushed portions of the lilm are subjected to the double action of the brushes and the liquid and are constantly acted on by other parts of the latter, so that a very thorough cleaning is obtained. This may be rendered still better by letting the brush or brushes act repeatedly upon the film. Then, to remove even the very last remainder of dirt, the hlm band is subjected, at the side having the picture-carrying layer, to a strong jet of the same or anothed kind of washing liquid, and after this Serial No. 555,?11.

treatment, it is again made to pass through between brushes which remove the superflu-ous liquid. Finally5 the rear side of the lilm band is subjected to the action of a polishing means, such, :tor instance, as a cloth mop or the like7 whereby rents and other unevenesses and irregularities are completely removed. rl`he thus treated film appears as entirely cleaned and may be employed like a new one.

ln order to make my invention more clear, l relier to the accompanying drawing, in which similar reference numerals denote similar parts throughout the several views and in which Figure 1 is a front view, with the middle portion in vertical section; and Figure 2 is a vertical transverse section through the middle portion ol' Figure l, drawn on alarger scale.

The whole arrangement and combination of parts is supported by a table l to which are aliixed two standards or frames 12 which may be stiiliened relatively to one another. Une of these iframes carries a roll 2 upon which the film band to be cleaned is wound, and the other frame carries a similar roll 3 upon which the lilm is being wound after the cleaning operation is linished. The lilm band is indicated in the tigures by a dot-and-dash line a and Figure l shows its path through the apparatus irom the roll 2 to the roll 3.

l? rom the roll 2 the lilm band passes downwards over guide rolls 5, 6 and 7 to rotary brushes 8 and 9, then further downwards and again upwards yover a guide roll lO to an upper guide roll 15. On its way from roll 10 to roll 15 the tilm band passes through between a lower pair oi' rotary brushes 9 and 11 and between an upper pair of rotary brushes 13 and 14e. The upper guide roll 15 has teeth corresponding to the perforati'ons of the lilm band. The lilm is now led over two small guide rolls 16 and 1'4" to a larger guide roll 1S, by which it is brought into contact with a rotary mop 19; then and linally the lilm gets to the winding up roll 3.

The rotary brushes 8, 9. 1l:1 13, 14e are supported by traine 9.0 which is connected at its upper portion with the frames 12, and the lower portion or" which dips into the liquid in a receptacle 21. 2Q are upwardly bent arms athxed to the trame 2O and assisting in supporting the rotary brushes. The receptacle 21 is filled to about one half with the washing liquid, preferably tetrachloride of carbon, but also another fat-dissolving liquid may be employed. At any rate, the receptacle is filled to such an extent that the lower brushes 8, 9, 11 are submerged in the liquid.

Within the receptacle 21 is a pump 23 which is also secured to the frame 20, sucks washing liquid out of said receptacle through a filter 44, and ejects it through a mouth piece 24 against the film band portion which has just emerged from the body of liquid contained in the said receptacle.

The rotary parts of the device are rotated by a motor 25 which drives by means of a belt 26 a pulley 27 aliixed to the shaft of the mop 19. The same shaft has affixed to it a pulley 27 which drives by means of a belt 28 (indicated by dot-and-dash lines) a pulley 29 Fig. 2). To the shaft of this pulley is affixed a cog-wheel 30 which meshes with a cog-wheel 31 secured to the spindle of the guide-roll 15. The change of speed from the pulley 27 to the pulley 29 is preferably in the ratio 1:4, so that the number of revolutions of said latter pulley is only about one fourth of that of said other pulley. rl`he speed of the guide roll 15 is considerably lower still by reason of the different diameters or circumferences of the cog-wheels 30 and 31.

The shaft to which the pulley 29 and the cog-wheel 30 are affixed supports also a chain wheel 32 (Fig. 2) and chain wheels 33, 34, 35, 36, 3'? and 3S of the same size are secured to the axles or spindles of the five rotary brushes, as well as to the driving shaft of the pump 23. All these chain wheels are connected with each other by an endless chain also indicated by a dash-anddot line in Fig. 1. The direction of motion is indicated by arrows.

Thus, the mop 19 is driven directly by the motor; the rotary brushes are driven with but one fourth of the number' of revolutions of the mop because of the gearing 27, 29, and the guide-roll 15 is rotated at a still lower speed by the mediation of the gearing 30/31.

The receptacle 21 is guided by means of eyes 40 at two rods 39 which are affixed to the table, and it is provided. with a cover 41 which is firmly secured to the frame 20. The receptacle may be connected with this frame in any convenient manner, and after these parts have been disconnected the receptacle with its cover may be moved along the guide rods in downward direction until it reaches the position indicated by a dotand-dash line in Fig. 1. The parts located within the receptacle are then free for inspection and may be cleaned or repaired, and also another i'ihn band which is to be cleaned may then be inserted. At the lower liquid; film-feeding means;

end of the receptacle is an outlet-cock 42 through which the liquid may be discharged, and said receptacle is, furthermore, provided with a. liquid-gauge 43 which permits of ascertaining the height of the level of the liquid contained in the said receptacle.

The manner of operation of the appara tus is as follows:

The receptacle 21 having been so adjusted that it assumes the position indicated by the dot-and-dash line in Fig. 1, the lm wound upon the roll 2 is drawn over and around the guide rolls 5, 6, 7, 10, 15, 16, 17, 1S, to the roll 3. Then the receptacle is lift` ed into its working position and the motor is started. The rolls 5 and 15 now pull the film band slowly through the apparatus so that it is slowly wound o the roll 2 and slowly wound upon the roll 3 which is appropriately rotated by any suitable means. rlhe film first dips into the cleaning liquid and is cleaned in it firstly by the brushes 8 and 9 and then by the brushes 9 and 11. Owing to the cleaning being effected within the liquid, and the film coming constantly in contact with other parts of the same, the cleaning is very thorough. The film, having thus been treated, leaves the liquid and its layer-bearing surface or side is then exposed to the action of the jet-pipe 24 which throws a strong jet of the cleaning liquid against and upon it so that dirt-particles that, perhaps, still adhere to the film are washed away. The thus treated film portions then pass through between the brushes 13 and 14 which remove the adhering liquid, and after this the film passes in nearly dry state through the cover 41 and is exposed to the mop 19 which polishes its rear side or surface whereby the eventually existing line rents and the like are removed. The now finished film is, finally, wound upon the roll 3 and then removed from the apparatus together with this roll.

1t is a matter of course, that the construction is not restricted to the exact number of rotary brushes and the other cleaning' means as shown and described and also the relative arrangement vof these parts may vary without departing from the gist of the invention.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters .Patent of the United States is:

1. Film-cleaning apparatus, comprising a main frame; a receptacle attached thereto to conti-iin cleaning liquid; an auxiliary frame attached to the main frame and extending into said receptacle; upper and lower pairs of coacting rotary cleaning elements carried by the auxiliary fra-me and disposed within said receptacle, the lower pair being submersible in the cleaning means for guiding the film through said receptacle and between the enacting cleaning elements; and means ttor rotating all ot the cleaning elements in unison.

2. Film-cleaning apparatus, comprising a main trame; a receptacle attached thereto to contain cleaning liquid; an auxiliary frame attached to the main trame and extending into said receptacle; a set of three horizontallyarranged, rotary cleaning elements mounted on the lower portion ot the auxiliary trame to be submerged in the cleaning liquid. the central cleaning element contacting w i both end elements; a pair ot coacting rotary cleaning elements mounted on the upper portion of the auxiliary trame; nlm-feeding means; means for guiding the film downwardly through the receptacle. between. the central cleaning element and one ot the end elements, and then upwardly through the receptacle first between said central element and the other end element and subsequently between the. upper pair of cleaning elements; and means for rotating all ot' the cleaning elements in unison.

3. Film-cleaning apparatus, comprising a main trame; a receptacle connected thereto and adapted to contain cleaning liquid; an auxiliary frame connected to the main frame and extending dmvnward directly in line with the receptacle, said receptacle and auxiliary trame constituting companion parts, one ot which is movable vertically in opposite directions with relation to the other to project the auxiliary trame into7 and to withdraw it trom; the receptacle; means Yfor feeding ilm into and through said receptacle; rotary cleaning elements carried by the auxiliary trame, certain ot said elements being submersible in the cleaning liquid; a pump attached to said auxiliary trame above the submersible cleaning elements and communicating at its inlet sidel with the liquid in said receptacle to draw in the same; and a mouth-piece in communication with the outlet side of the pump tor spraying the emulsion side of the film after the latter has emerged from the liquid.

4. Film-cleaning apparatus; comprising a main trame; a receptacle connected thereto and adapted to contain cleaning liquid; an auxiliary trame connected to the main frame and extending downward directly in line with the receptacle; means for feeding ilm into and through said receptacle; and rotary cleaning ele-ments carried by the auxilia ry frame; certain ot which are submersible in the cleaning liquid; said receptacle and trame constituting companion parts, one of which is movable vertically in opposite direct-ions with relation to the other to project the auxiliary trame and its cleaning elements into the receptacle and to withdraw them therefrom.

5. Film-cleaning apparatus, comprising a main trame; a receptacle adjustably connected tiereto and adapted to contain cleaning liquid; an auxiliary trame connected to the main trame and extending downward into said receptacle; rotary cleaning elements carried by the auxiliary iframe, certain otl said elements being submersible in the cleaning liquid; means for feeding film into and through said receptacle; a pump attached to said auxiliary trame` above the submersible cleaning elements and communicating at its inlet side with the liquid in said receptacle to draw in the same; and a mouth-piece in communication with the outlet side of the pump for spraying the emulsion side ot the film after the latter has emerged from the liquid; said receptacle being movable vertically with relation to the auxiliary trame to` withdraw the submersible elements from the receptacle and expose them tor cleaning purposes.

(i. Film-cleaning apparatus, comprising a main trame; a receptacle adjustably connected thereto and adapted to contain cleaning liquid; an auxiliary frame connected to the main frame and extending downward into said receptacle; rotary cleaning elements carried by the auxiliary trame, certain oit said elements being submersible in thc cleaning liquid; {ihn-feeding means; and means for guiding the film through said receptacle; said receptacle being movable` vertically with relation to the auxiliary fra-me to withdraw the latter' and the cleaning elements carried thereby from the receptacle and expose them for cleaning or repairing.

In testimony whereoiI I have atxed my signature.

HEINRICH LCHTE. 

